Mikel Arteta during an Arsenal training session
Mikel Arteta has a big decision to make for his Arsenal attack
Arsenal's need for a new striker was one of the stories of the 2024-25 season, even before the man doing the job was ruled out for several months. is not a natural number nine - even if he was doing a decent job of it - while has only accelerated the need for investment in the area.
Mikel Arteta's team scored 22 fewer goals this season than last. The idea that they're fine without a new striker was far easier to defend during the 2023-24 campaign, but now there appears to be a consensus that a new face is needed - and at significant cost.
Whoever moves to Arsenal this summer will be a starting striker not just for this season but for the next few on top of that. And now we've got two names at the front of the queue: Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko.
There's arguably no such thing as a 'sure thing' at number nine - at least not for clubs without a bottomless chequebook. Alexander Isak might be the closest there is to such a thing, but it would have been a tall order to convince Newcastle to sell the Swede even before they secured Champions League qualification and the extra funds that brings.
And so, we move on to two men with significant upsides, but questions as well. Here, Mirror Football more closely examines which of Gyokeres would suit Arsenal the best.
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Gyokeres looks to be the better fit for a club after a player who can hit the ground running. The Sporting striker didn't just score goals in the Primeira Liga during his club's title defence - he left the rest of the competition in his dust.
His 39 goals in the league were more than double his nearest challenger, and would put him in the top half of the entire league on his own. Even if you take out penalties - and his tally of 12 isn't insignificant - no one else got within 12 of the Sweden frontman.
We can also acknowledge Gyokeres' form for Coventry before moving to Portugal. While the numbers aren't quite as eye-catching - 40 goals in all competitions across two seasons is fewer than in either of his individual campaigns with Sporting - it might offer some reassurances that he's unlikely to have issues settling back in England at the very least.
Viktor Gyokeres celebrating against Manchester City
Viktor Gyokeres had a memorable night against Manchester City in the Champions League
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Image:
AP)
If we want to look at Europe, where the opposition is stronger, you can appreciate why some still have questions. Yes, there was the stunning hat-trick against Manchester City, but that masks what has otherwise been a simply okay season.
With six goals in the Champions League, he's the 13th highest scorer - not too shabby for a player in a team not considered one of the pre-tournament favourites. Still, the underlying numbers per 90 minutes are also worth analysing in a competition where players can play an unequal number of games.
According to data from FBRef, he sneaks into the top 10 for expected goals per 90 minutes among players with 500 minutes or more, while he's outside that group for non-penalty expected goals. Among those ahead of him in the latter list, as it happens, is none other than Benjamin Sesko.
Benjamin Sesko celebrating a goal for RB Leipzig against Bayern Munich (
Image:
Getty Images)
Sesko, like Gyokeres, wasn't playing for a team expected to go too far in the competition. In fact, it ended up being an absolute nightmare campaign for his RB Leipzig team, who lost seven of their eight league phase games
The Slovenia frontman has a return of 0.48 non-penalty xG per 90 - just a fraction above Gyokeres and the same as Inter Milan frontman Lautaro Martinez. All three men have scored goals at a better rate than those underlying numbers would suggest, with Martinez showing the most dramatic uptick of the three.
It's too early in Sesko's career to predict whether he will consistently be able to outperform those numbers - something he's done with no trouble so far in the Bundesliga. What we do know, though, is he's been able to get good quality chances against decent opposition and managed to put them away at a pretty good rate.
Kai Havertz should get more midfield minutes when a new striker arrives (
Image:
Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Arsenal's links with Sesko grew very loud at the end of the 2023-24 season, where he finished the campaign strongly in Leipzig colours. He has scored fewer goals from more minutes this term, from a slightly lower xG per 90 in the Bundesliga, but has improved his creation to the point that there are signs he could yet replace that aspect of Havertz's game.
And therein lies the other big factor: potential. While Gyokeres' late bloomer status suggests he can still deliver for a while, he turns 27 in the summer and there will be questions of how much better he can become.
Sesko, in contrast, is five years younger than the alternative and already putting up solid numbers in a top European league. Sure, it might not be the kind of numbers Erling Haaland was posting in the Bundesliga at the same age, but only eight players scored more than him in the competition this year - including Hugo Ekitike, who is being touted for a similar big-money Premier League move.
Gabriel Jesus is not expected to be back for the start of the new season (
Image:
PA)
In the end, it may come down to Arsenal's own priorities. If they see the upcoming season as win-or-bust in the league, it's hard to look past the 53 goals Gyokeres scored in all competitions and see it as their best chance of blowing the competition out of the water.
Sesko may well feel like the better long-term option, but not only because of his age. There are plenty who have suggested he has a bigger upside than near enough any striker of his age, and there's a reason he had so many admirers even before leaving Red Bull Salzburg for his current club.
This summer will see sporting director Andrea Berta given his first big test (
Image:
Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Trusting potential is always more of a risk, especially when it involves looking at some very big Gyokeres numbers and convincing yourself they're not the be all and end all. Without the riches of their rivals, though, Arsenal have recognised the need to prioritise younger players as their marquee signings.
The investment under Mikel Arteta in Arsenal's last couple of seasons has followed a pattern of big money on younger stars and speculative, cheaper moves for those in their late 20s or 30s. It's served them well, too, with Havertz, Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber showing indications they can form the spine of the team for years to come.
If Arsenal regard themselves as having the same needs they did in 2023, Sesko might be the answer. However, it's hard to look at Gyokeres and think "no, this is absolutely the wrong guy for a title push".
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